Subscribe to the BlogCan using your daily routine diary help you find a sleeplessness cure? For most people this really can stop those nights of sleeplessness.
Your daily routine definitely has an effect on how you do at night. Although some daily habits are harder to change than others, it is worth taking a look at.
8 top sleeplessness causes - your daily routine.
Caffeine - America has gone on a caffeine kick. It is the in thing to drink giant coffees from the local Starbucks. Energy drinks, full of caffeine are the rage. If you like drinking coffee or other caffeine drinks, then test this out for yourself. Keep track of your caffeine intake. When do you drink caffeine? Should you cut out caffeine or cut back to drinking it earlier in the day?
Exercise - The body is meant to work. Are you working your body? Taking the time to exercise not only helps with sleeplessness, but helps with your over all well being.
Computer /TV - These two culprits are easy to miss. If you spend a lot of time at the computer or watching TV, turn them off early in the evening and spend time relaxing for sleep help.
Naps - If you are taking naps during the day adjust your nap time to what works best. You can start on a gradient; take shorter naps, move nap time to an earlier period in the day or cut out naps completely.
Nicotine - Now this is one of those habits that could be hard to change. Kudos to those who make the honest effort. Nicotine has been proven to cause anxiety. Also the need to wake up and smoke disturbs sleep.
Alcohol - Often it is thought that alcohol helps you go to sleep, the problem is that it makes it hard to get a good nights sleep.
Schedule - It is suggested that you keep a reglar sleep schedule. This can be a hard one. It is easy to rob sleep time to get things done. Shift work can throw you off schedule. No matter what is happening try to set a schedule that fits your life.
Sunlight - Getting sunlight has taken a bad rap the last few years. I mean we slather on sun screen, and then again there is a big push for people to get more vitamin D. (go figure) Just 20 minutes to an hour in the sun every day will work wonders. This is one that you need to try out for yourself. Not getting any sun is not only the culprit for lack of sleep it affects every part of how your body functions.
Dr. Daniel Kripke,Univeristy of California, and the very first person to set up a sleep clinic, gives these suggestions.
I will be going into more detail on these culprits in the future.
Hope this helps you sleep well,
Sheila
P.S. This is a quick over view of culprits you should watch for when you keep your daily routine diary. It is very possible to find what is causing your sleeplessness and fined a sleeplessness cure.
Great ideas for getting sleep. I never take naps because I get up groggy. Getting out of the house everyday into the sunshine is a good suggestion. I hadn’t thought of.it in conjunction with sleep. Thanks
For me, the computer and books are the biggest culprit – I often can’t tear myself away from the latest project (or random surfing!) and often will continue reading a “thumping good novel” (to use my mother’s phrase) until my eyes will no longer focus on the page – sometimes after that soft grey-blue light of early morning is already shining through the blinds.
@Kathy
Dr. Kripke has done a lot of research on light therapy and suggest getting 1 hour of sun a day. In the summer I sleep so much better, I attribute it to the fact that I get lots of sun and work hard. I am careful not to get sunburned. I wear protective clothing.
@Geoff
The computer is my biggest culprit. Reading use to be. In fact that is what I did all through high school. Read all night and slept in class.
Sheila
Hi Sheila, I’m on Geoff’s computer “issue”…. This is s great blog to be reminded of the importance of getting your sleep!
Sheila, I didn’t know that the Sun is an integral part of sleep. I will be paying better attention to my intake!
Hi Shelia,
I’ve been thinking a lot about sleep, lately. Most of my life I’ve been a night-owl. A couple years ago, after I moving into a new apartment with a great view, I fell in love with photographing sunrises. I went, very quickly, from a night-owl to a morning person. I found that I felt better on days when I went to bed early and got up early. Over time, and in a new apartment without that spectacular view, I’m back to going to bed between 3am and 5 am. I definitely feel it… and not in a good way. So now I’m dealing with the fact that I love to stay up late, but my body doesn’t. Oy!
I have a question about your Good Sleep Hygiene slide. It seems that “don’t go to bed unless sleepy” is counteracted by “have a consistent bed time.” How do you make those two co-exist?
@Julie,
The idea is to plan a regular sleep time. When you are not sleepy, do not lay there and force your self to sleep, spend that time relaxing.
When I am not sleepy I like go work on the computer which contributes to no sleep. Once I changed this to a time to relax, my sleep has been better. The Sleep Sleep Secret Audio really helps me relax.
Sheila